escape from lake tahoe thousands pack up their cars and flee the caldor fire as high winds blow it within five miles of lake tahoe
Residents and tourists in the Lake Tahoe area were ordered to evacuate the popular summer destination as officials race to contain the massive Caldor Fire that burned five miles from South Lake Tahoe.
On Monday, the entire city of South Lake Tahoe was issued evacuation orders, after the widespread Caldor Fire experienced a 'rapid spread,' according to Cal Fire.
The new evacuation order was issued for Tahoe Keys, Tahoe Island, Al Tahoe, Sierra Tract, Bijou, Tahoma, Fallen Leaf, Pioneer, Gardner Mountain and Trimmer.
More evacuations have been ordered around the Tahoe Basin Sunday evening, as fire officials race to contain the massive Caldor Fire that has already burned at least 245 square miles bigger than city of Chicago
Fire officials dealt with a two-week old blaze they said was 'more aggressive than anticipated,' and continued to edge toward the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe
A firefighter monitors a back burn along Highway 50 next to a home that was partially wrapped in foil as crews continued structure prevention at the Caldor Fire in Strawberry, California
A chairlift at Sierra-at Tahoe ski resort sits idle as the Caldor Fire moves through the area on August 30, 2021 in Twin Bridges, California
Dawn Svymbersky stands in the middle of Highway 50 as evacuee traffic stands still in South Lake Tahoe
People are stuck in traffic after mandatory evacuations are put into place in South Lake Tahoe
The new evacuation orders came after a Red Flag Warning went into effect at 11 am Monday for the Northern and Southern Cascades
The new evacuation order was issued for Tahoe Keys, Tahoe Island, Al Tahoe, Sierra Tract, Bijou, Tahoma, Fallen Leaf, Pioneer, Gardner Mountain and Trimmer
Residents are stuck in gridlock while attempting to evacuate as the Caldor fire approaches in South Lake Tahoe, California on August 30, 2021
The evacuation order was issued for El Dorado and Alpine County, according to a news release from Cal Fire
The blaze that broke out August 14 was 19% contained after 600 structures were destroyed and at least 18,000 more were under threat.
The new evacuation orders came after a Red Flag Warning went into effect at 11 am Monday for the Northern and Southern Cascades.
Fire conditions also prompted patients from Barton Memorial Hospital to be evacuated, as emergency officials continued to expanded mandatory evacuation orders.
For those evacuating from the region, a Red Cross Shelter will be provided at the Douglas County Community Center in Gardnerville, Nevada, the release stated.
'The most important thing people can do now is get their go-bags ready and have a plan in place to evacuate should an evacuation order get extended,' city spokeswoman Lindsey Baker told CNN.
When speaking to KTVN, Clive Savacool, fire chief for South Tahoe, said the call for preparation came as the fire worsened and conditions are expected to intensify this week.
Traffic backs up on Hwy 50 as people evacuate ahead of the Caldor Fire on August 30, 2021 in South Lake Tahoe, California
Traffic backs up on Hwy 50 as people evacuate ahead of the Caldor Fire on August 30, 2021 in South Lake Tahoe, California
A firefighter walks through burned trees after the Caldor Fire moved through the area on August 30, 2021 near Twin Bridges, California. The Caldor Fire has burned over 165,000 acres, destroyed over 650 structures and is currently 13 percent contained
South Lake Tahoe. A continuous stream of people leaving the city. @KQED @KQEDnews pic.twitter.com/ALe65Fx09x
— Ezra David Romero (@ezraromero) August 30, 2021
South Lake Tahoe. A continuous stream of people leaving the city. @KQED @KQEDnews pic.twitter.com/ALe65Fx09x
Firefighters from Riverside County Fire Department congregate on Saturday, August 28
This Aug. 25, 2021, infrared color satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of the Caldor Fire near South Lake Tahoe, California
'The Caldor Fire has made a pretty big jump in the last few hours, so that's had a pretty big impact on the community and expansion of evacuations,' Savacool explained.
He said the winds, low humidity and low moisture are making the conditions 'very, very treacherous' for the fire and why it's expanding so quickly.
Crews dealt with a two-week old blaze they said was 'more aggressive than anticipated,' and continued to edge toward the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe.
'Today's been a rough day and there's no bones about it,' said Jeff Marsoleis, forest supervisor for El Dorado National Forest.
A few days ago, he thought crews could halt the Caldor Fire's eastern progress, but he said: 'today it let loose.'
Flames churned through mountains just a few miles southwest of the Tahoe Basin, where thick smoke sent tourists packing at a time when summer vacations would usually be in full swing ahead of the Labor Day weekend.
The Evans family pack up their home as they prepare to evacuate South Lake Tahoe during the Caldor Fire on Monday
Michael Posadas packs his truck while preparing to evacuate from South Lake Tahoe
Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort General Manager John Rice evacuates for the second time in two days as the Caldor fire approaches in South Lake Tahoe, California on August 30, 2021
Now that evacuations are mandatory in South Lake Tahoe law enforcement officials are going door-to-door knocking on doors asking people to leave. @KQEDnews @KQED #caldorfire pic.twitter.com/ymqq28Ja41
— Ezra David Romero (@ezraromero) August 30, 2021
Now that evacuations are mandatory in South Lake Tahoe law enforcement officials are going door-to-door knocking on doors asking people to leave. @KQEDnews @KQED #caldorfire pic.twitter.com/ymqq28Ja41
The blaze that broke out August 14 was 19% contained after 600 structures were destroyed and at least 18,000 more were under threat
The Caldor Fire has proved so difficult to fight that fire managers pushed back the projected date for full containment from early this week to Sept. 8. But even that estimate was tenuous
Flames churned through mountains just a few miles southwest of the Tahoe Basin, where thick smoke sent tourists packing at a time when summer vacations would usually be in full swing ahead of the Labor Day weekend
Smoke from the Caldor Fire fills the sky above Lake Tahoe's Zephyr Cove in Douglas County, Nevada on Friday
The Caldor Fire burns above the South Fork of the American River in the White Hall community of El Dorado County, California, on Friday
Horrible air quality conditions are seen at Lake Tahoe on Sunday as the massive Caldor Fire has encroached on the California mountain resort town
'To put it in perspective, we've been seeing about a half-mile of movement on the fire's perimeter each day for the last couple of weeks, and today, this has already moved at 2.5 miles on us, with no sign that it's starting to slow down,' said Cal Fire Division Chief Eric Schwab.
Some areas of the Northern California terrain are so rugged that crews had to carry fire hoses by hand from Highway 50 as they sought to douse spot fires caused by erratic winds.
The forecast did not offer optimism: triple-digit temperatures were possible and the extreme heat was expected to last several days. A red flag warning for critical fire conditions was issued for Monday and Tuesday across the Northern Sierra.
The Caldor Fire has proved so difficult to fight that fire managers pushed back the projected date for full containment from early this week to Sept. 8. But even that estimate was tenuous.
The air quality around Lake Tahoe has remained among the worst levels in the world since Wednesday after reaching levels as high as 530 on an index maintained by Purple Air, a company that sells home air quality monitors.
By around 2 a.m. on Monday morning, the air quality in South Lake Tahoe had reached an alarming index of 598, according to the company.
An air quality index of between zero and 50 is considered clean and healthy, while 51-100 is considered moderate, and anything from 101 upwards is considered potentially dangerous.
Stunning photos from Lake Tahoe showed the dense, orange haze hanging above the pristine freshwater mountain lake caused by the massive blaze.
A map from Cal Fire shows its proximity to Lake Tahoe as of Monday morning
Smoke from the Caldor Fire fills the sky above Lake Tahoe's Zephyr Cove in Douglas County, Nevada on Friday
Smoke from the Caldor Fire fills the sky above Stateline, Nevada on Friday
A firefighter is dwarfed by an aerial drop at the the Chaparral Fire in Murrieta which still blazes, Sunday, August 29, 2021. Several homes appear to be evacuated in the area
The Chaparral Fire, off Cleveland Forest and Tenaja Roads in Murrieta, California, is not contained Sunday. Separate evacuation centers have been established for people, small and large animals
The Chaparral Fire, off Cleveland Forest and Tenaja Roads in Murrieta, California, is not contained Sunday
In Southern California, a section Interstate 15 was closed Sunday afternoon after winds pushed a new blaze, dubbed the Railroad Fire, across lanes in the Cajon Pass northeast of Los Angeles.
Further south, evacuation orders and warnings were still in place for remote communities after a wildfire broke out and spread quickly through the Cleveland National Forest on Saturday.
A firefighter received minor injuries and two structures were destroyed in the 2.3-square-mile Chaparral Fire burning along the border of San Diego and Riverside counties, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It was 10% contained Sunday.
Meanwhile, California's Dixie Fire, the second-largest in state history at 1,193 square miles was 48% contained in the Sierra-Cascades region about 65 miles north of the Caldor Fire. Nearly 700 homes were among almost 1,300 buildings that have been destroyed since the fire began in early July.
Containment increased to 22% on the 12-day-old French Fire, which covered more than 38 square miles in the southern Sierra Nevada. Crews protected forest homes on the west side of Lake Isabella, a popular recreation area northeast of Bakersfield.
More than a dozen large fires are being fought by more than 15,200 firefighters across California. Flames have destroyed around 2,000 structures and forced thousands to evacuate this year while blanketing large swaths of the West in unhealthy smoke.
The California fires are among nearly 90 large blazes in the U.S. Many are in the West, burning trees and brush desiccated by drought. Climate change has made the region warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more destructive, according to scientists.
The Defense Department is sending 200 U.S. Army soldiers from Washington state and equipment including eight U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft to help firefighters in Northern California, the U.S. Army North said in a statement Saturday.
The C-130s have been converted to air tankers that can dump thousands of gallons of water on the flames.
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